Bloomberg

The Wi-Fi icon -- a dot with radio waves radiating outward -- glows on nearly every internet-connected device, from the iPhone to thermostats to TVs. But it’s starting to fade from the limelight. With every major US wireless carrier now offering unlimited data plans, consumers don’t need to log on to a Wi-Fi network to avoid costly overage charges anymore. That’s a critical change that threatens to render Wi-Fi obsolete. And with new competitive technologies crowding in, the future looks even dimmer.

Russian hackers are targeting US progressive groups in a new wave of attacks, scouring the organizations’ e-mails for embarrassing details and attempting to extract hush money, according to two people familiar with probes being conducted by the FBI and private security firms. At least a dozen groups have faced extortion attempts since the US presidential election, apparently.

The ransom demands are accompanied by samples of sensitive data in the hackers’ possession. In one case, a non-profit group and a prominent liberal donor discussed how to use grant money to cover some costs for anti-Trump protesters. The identities were not disclosed, and it’s unclear if the protesters were paid. At least some groups have paid the ransoms even though there is little guarantee the documents won’t be made public anyway. Demands have ranged from about $30,000 to $150,000, payable in untraceable bitcoins, apparently.

Vera Jourova spent months working with the Obama administration on a deal to protect Europeans from digital surveillance by US spies. With a new occupant now in the White House, the European Union’s privacy czar says she’s prepared to rip up the pact if the Americans don’t adhere to its terms.

“If there is a significant change, we will suspend” the accord, Jourova, the European Union’s justice commissioner, said. “I will not hesitate to do it. There’s too much at stake.” At the end of March the former Czech regional development minister will travel to Washington to meet with the administration of new US President Donald Trump on the privacy shield. Jourova said she’s hopeful she won’t have to suspend the pact, but conceded that Trump’s unpredictability has raised concern among European regulators.

Opponents of AT&T’s plan to acquire Time Warner may have to rely on the Department of Justice as their sole federal option for blocking the $85.4 billion deal, as it looks increasingly likely that the Federal Communications Commission won’t review it. Public Knowledge President Gene Kimmelman, whose group opposes the merger, acknowledged as much Feb. 28 when he told state attorneys general that they needed to give the deal a closer look than they might otherwise would have. “I would urge you to look at it carefully as I’m not sure it will get as much scrutiny at the federal level as it would in the past,” he said. Without FCC review, the arguments against the deal have shifted away from a “public interest” standard to a narrower anti-competitive standard. That improves the chances for AT&T and Time Warner and makes the case more difficult for opponents.

Recently, an Indian government official announced that iPhones will start rolling off an assembly line in Bangalore by the end of April, targeted at local customers. It's a big moment for Apple, which is counting on India's emerging middle class to make up for slowing sales in other markets.

But don't bet on the iPhone conquering India, or any other emerging market, just yet. That's because smartphones of all kinds are facing stiff competition from an unlikely new challenger: feature phones. With simple handsets and small screens intended mostly for calls and text messages -- similar to the Nokia or Motorola you probably owned years ago -- a new generation of feature phones is suddenly looking like a threat to Apple and its rivals.

The Federal Communications Commission’s record-breaking $100 million proposed fine against AT&T may soon be relegated to the dustbin.

The blockbuster fine, which the commission’s Enforcement Bureau proposed in 2015 for the company’s wireless network management practices, could be an early casualty of new Chairman Ajit Pai’s intent to shake up the agency. He appears particularly eager to make his mark on the Enforcement Bureau.

Changes to the FCC’s enforcement procedures and focus could be among the actions with the most impact on both consumers and the telecommunications industry, including companies such as AT&T. Among the possible changes: a requirement that the commission wrap up enforcement cases within a year of announcing proposed fines. Chairman Pai is considering ideas for speeding up the FCC’s enforcement process, and a one-year limit “is certainly one idea that is on the table,” said agency spokesman Will Wiquist. “If a company has violated the Commission’s rules, the FCC shouldn’t be waiting years before imposing a financial penalty.” Such a move could lead to the commission simply dropping its case against AT&T.

Verizon Communications is close to a renegotiated deal for Yahoo! Inc.’s internet properties that would reduce the price of the $4.8 billion agreement by about $250 million after the revelation of security breaches at the web company, apparently. In addition to the discount, Verizon and the entity that remains of Yahoo after the deal, to be renamed Altaba Inc., are expected to share any ongoing legal responsibilities related to the breaches, said the people, who asked not to be identified discussing private information. An announcement of the new agreement could come in a matter of days or weeks.

Two senior congressional telecommunications aides, David Redl and David Quinalty, are said to be vying to lead the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, apparently. The NTIA is a Department of Commerce agency that plays a critical role in managing one of the country’s most valuable, if intangible, natural resources: radio wave spectrum. The wireless industry is hungry to get its hands on some of those airwaves in coming years, likely giving the agency more influence over the industry’s future. President Donald Trump will nominate the next NTIA administrator, subject to Senate confirmation.

Redl, current Republican chief counsel for communications and technology on the House Commerce Committee, is said to have thrown his hat into a ring already filled with several other contenders for the position, according to the sources. Redl has been a lawyer with the committee since 2011. He previously worked as director of regulatory affairs at CTIA, the largest wireless industry trade group. Quinalty, senior policy director on the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, is also said to be interested in the role, as well as a possible position on President Donald Trump’s National Economic Council, the sources said. Quinalty has been a GOP aide on the committee since 2009.

[Commentary] In his early days in office, true to his campaign promises, President Donald Trump is promoting a $1 trillion plan to upgrade the nation's aging physical infrastructure. To maximize job creation, investment and benefits to all Americans, he should also focus on our "invisible infrastructure" -- the unseen airwaves that enable wireless connections.

As a start, here are some ideas the new administration should pursue as part of an Invisible Infrastructure Initiative: 1) expand the spectrum pipeline, 2) focus on government spectrum, and 3) remove barriers to expanding broadband.

[Julius Genachowski, former chairman of the FCC, is a managing director and partner at the Carlyle Group.]

Facebook has put itself at the forefront of efforts to recruit a more diverse workforce, including a targeted internal recruiting strategy in 2015 designed to bring in female, black and Latino software engineers. Yet within Facebook’s engineering department, the push has been hampered by a multi-layered hiring process that gives a small committee of high-ranking engineers veto power over promising candidates, frustrating recruiters and hindering progress on diversity goals.

Facebook started incentivizing recruiters in 2015 to find engineering candidates who weren't already well represented at the company – women, black and Latino workers. But during the final stage for engineering hires, the decision-makers were risk-averse, often declining the minority candidates. The engineering leaders making the ultimate choices, almost all white or Asian men, often assessed candidates on traditional metrics like where they attended college, whether they had worked at a top tech firm, or whether current Facebook employees could vouch for them, according to former recruiters, who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly about their work.